KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing says his party will not fall for the hidden agenda of certain quarters calling PRS to quit the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).
When contacted in China yesterday, Masing said he rejected the suggestion.
“We will not leave the BN. Certainly we will not entertain the hidden agenda of some people. We will stay in BN as BN is our home and family. Although I may be outspoken and vocal on certain pertinent issues that do not mean we are trying to leave or go against the BN,” he said.
Masing, who is the state Land Development Minister, described his strong stand over issues on Dayak predicament as “strong suggestions and recommendations to the ruling government to make situation affecting community better and not otherwise”.
Lately there were posting in the social media, blog and news portal supporting Masing and PRS on many issues affecting the Dayaks.
A call was posted in a news portal on Nov 26 for Masing to review PRS membership in BN after Masing lashed out at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for his near obsession of winning back Chinese voters but neglecting Dayak voters, who had kept the BN in power.
Yesterday another news portal quoted several angry Dayaks asking the PRS president to leave both BN at state and federal levels “as the Dayaks have been ignored by the government for the last 51 years..”
“Why do you have to wait for another 50 years for the Dayaks to be marginalised, suppressed and ignored? It is time that PRS together with two other Dayak-based Parties (Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party and Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak) quit BN and join forces with the opposition Pakatan Rakyat,” the news portal quoted one blogger.
Implying that the BN and Umno in particular were racist, the blogger said the Dayaks must think of the next state election and kick BN out of power, pointing out that was the only way the Dayaks could take back their power and revert to the glory days when Tan Sri Stephen Kalong Ningkan was the chief minister.
Subsequently two PRS leaders came to defend Masing for giving a gentle reminder to Najib not to ignore the Dayak vote bank.
PRS information chief Alexander Donald and PRS Youth publicity chief Bit Surang said that they supported Masing’s statement on the matter because of the general feelings of the Dayaks that they had been ignored or marginalised, despite contributing much to ensure BN’s victory in the general elections.